Being the victim of a crime in the past and moving house

[HalleDove24]

We were the victims of a crime in our house. It was horrible and caused me very significant distress although time passing has reduced my anxiety and I do feel safe again in my home.

We are in the process of moving house. I was surprised how many houses I turned down in our search because I was so worried about security. Anyway, we eventually found one that we liked. It is a head house rather than a heart house and ticks a lot of boxes, even though it is very different to what we thought we would go for. One of the reasons we went for it was because it felt safe. Tucked away, enclosed back garden, cul de sac, nice area.

I have found out this morning that police are appealing for information as there was an attempted burglary on the street. I feel physically sick. How do I overcome this? I feel like I want to pull out.

That could happen anywhere. A quiet location not overlooked sounds better for a burglar than a busy main road. Perhaps you should find a house you love and add your own security measures for peace of mind?

I'm so sorry for what happened @HalleDove24, I'm not surprised it has affected the way you view houses now that you're looking to move. As @AuntieDolly says, it could have happened anywhere, it does sound a case of unfortunate timing. I always think this time of year is particularly a bad time for burglaries, what with the short days and people's houses full of gifts. On the plus side, as you say it is a head house rather than a heart house, so it clearly has a lot going for it security-wise when you picked it initially. Also, it was an attempted burglary rather than a burglary. To my mind that means the burglars tried the house that looked easiest to get into (as most burglaries are opportunistic) and still weren't able to take what they wanted. I'd have been more worried if it had been successful. You can also check crime statistics for the postcode online to give yourself extra piece of mind. If the house felt right initially I'd go with your gut, but perhaps spend some money and time doing whatever you need to the house to enable you to feel safe in it, there's so many fantastic security options now that a specialist company would be able to advise you on. In all likelihood burglars will go for the easiest or emptiest looking house on a street, so with that logic your house just has to be even the second least secure looking house on the cul de sac.
The police used to offer a service where they'd come to your house and check for obvious security issues, it might be worth investigating if they still offer this, particularly given what you have gone through? When we moved house we got a security firm to replace a ancient burglar alarm, but whilst we were at it we also got them to do a pass of the house and they ended up putting proper locks on the back gate, bolts on the garage door etc. Probably overkill, but my OH has been burgled in the past and as he works away a lot he was worried about me being here on my own. The burglar alarm we have now has an app so that I can set it at night from bed if he's away and I feel I need to. I don't always but its nice to have the option
In reality you can't eliminate all risk of burglary from wherever you move to (I seem to remember even the Queen had an intruder in Buckingham Palace once!) but you can make it hard enough work to get into your house that hopefully most burglars couldn't be arsed! Good luck, I hope you can enjoy your new home.

Get a big dog .